Three people have been killed and at least 15 others injured in a shooting outside an elementary school in the southern Philippines.

The incident happened in Cotabato City at around 11.41pm on the eve of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.

According to initial information shared by the Cotabato City Police Office, the late-night shootout took place between several armed men right outside Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School. Local media outlet GMA reported that the confrontation broke out between rival political supporters.

Footage taken from the scene showed the flashing emergency lights of an ambulance arriving to assist victims, while heavily armed security officials stood guard nearby.

To understand why tensions are running so high in the area, you have to look at the sheer significance of this vote. Voters across the autonomous southern Philippine region are casting their ballots on Monday in what is the area's first-ever parliamentary election.

The poll is widely seen as a crucial milestone in a decades-long push for self-determination and lasting peace, following extended periods of insurgency and unrest across the region.

The scale of the electorate involved is substantial. The BARMM administrative territory covers five provinces, three cities, and 63 villages spread across eight special geographic area clusters.

In total, nearly 2.4 million people are registered to vote in the contest, with election authorities aiming to reach an 80% turnout now that polling is finally underway after being postponed for several years.

The roots of the local tension run back through generations of history. Centuries of colonial administration by Spain and the United States, alongside migration by Filipino Christian settlers, gradually turned Muslims into a minority in Mindanao, the resource-rich southern third of the Philippine archipelago from which the BARMM was eventually carved out.

As a result of that long history, the wider territory has experienced decades of intermittent, bloody disputes over territory, local resources, and political control.

What we do not know yet are the specific identities of the three victims who lost their lives or the condition of the 15 people who were injured. Police authorities have confirmed that an investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.

The election continues under tight security as the region attempts to navigate a fragile political transition. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.